"How far are you from your goal now?"
Paul's gaze drifted downward from Akari's face, finally settling on the deep and mysterious pouch strapped to her waist.
"Hehe, I'm almost there! I've already encountered most of the Pokémon in Hisui and recorded their data in the Pokédex. I believe it won't be long before I've met them all and fulfilled Arceus' mission."
"Oh, and I've gotta thank you for your Pokédex too—I've kept it safe this whole time."
With a proud glint in her eyes, Akari pulled out two Pokédexes from her pouch and flashed them with enthusiasm.
Paul asked, "So what stage are you at now? Have you passed the trials of the Lake Guardians?"
"The Lake Guardians? Oh, you mean the three from the lakes? Haha—'Guardians' sounds grand, but I like 'sacred mushrooms' better. Kinda fits, don't you think? Of course it does! I'm amazing! Check this out!"
With a sheepish grin, Akari reached into her pouch and retrieved a special red chain, which floated above her hand like it had a will of its own.
"That's pretty unique." Paul remarked, examining it closely.
A long time ago, he'd seen the red chains that Cyrus used to control Dialga and Palkia—those were forged with modern science, meteorite shards, and the power of the Lake Trio. But this one was fundamentally different.
Cyrus' red chain could outright control the two deities of time and space. Akari's, on the other hand, merely suppressed their powers. The key distinction? Her chain was created by the Lake Guardians themselves.
Still, both shared one inconvenient trait: they were ridiculously fragile.
One shattered chain had triggered Paul's unexpected arrival here. Another had led to the creation of the Origin Ball.
"Ah! I almost forgot, I came back to Jubilife Village to find Professor Laventon and Commander Kamado!"
Caught up in the joy of reuniting with an old friend, Akari had completely forgotten her original purpose.
"Sorry, Paul. I've got something important to take care of. I'll show you more of Hisui's charm later."
Even knowing that Paul might not stay here long, Akari didn't hesitate to make her choice.
"Do what matters most to you." Paul said, casually lifting his Rotom Phone to show the display.
The timer indicated he still had five full days before he had to leave.
"That's a relief! In that case, let's find the professor and Kama—huh? Rei, you're here too?"
Akari turned and was stunned to see Rei standing nearby, looking utterly dejected.
"...I've been here the whole time." Rei muttered, doubting his very existence again.
"Huh? You were? Oh... hahaha…"
Akari cast an apologetic glance at Paul, who gave a small nod. Her eyes widened, then she laughed awkwardly.
But with more pressing matters to deal with, she quickly moved on.
"Sorry! I got distracted. I need to go find Commander Kamado and the professor first."
Grabbing Paul by the wrist, Akari sprinted off, leaving Rei behind in a swirl of dust and heartbreak.
—
Galaxy Team Headquarters
"As expected of Akari—not only did she survive in the wild, she even passed the Lake Guardians' trials and acquired the Red Chain... too bad Commander Kamado isn't in the village right now."
Professor Laventon sighed, having just finished reviewing Akari's latest accomplishments.
"What? Commander Kamado's not in Jubilife Village?" Akari exclaimed, turning to the cold-eyed woman beside him—Captain Cyllene of the Survey Corps.
"That's correct." Cyllene answered, her voice even colder than Paul's. "The security corps reported seeing strange shadows, possibly Pokémon beyond the space-time rift. Commander Kamado personally led a team to investigate the Temple of Sinnoh atop Mt. Coronet."
After a moment's thought, she issued a formal order:
"As Survey Corps Captain, I hereby assign you Akari, to proceed to Mt. Coronet in your capacity as a surveyor. Use the Red Chain to resolve the situation."
"I got it!" Akari saluted with enthusiasm.
"And remember," Cyllene added as she turned away, "I still expect you to return without becoming another corpse in the wild."
With that, she retreated into her office to resume paperwork.
"Good luck, Akari." Laventon encouraged her warmly. "I believe you'll resolve this safely and return in one piece."
Then he paused, looking around in confusion.
"Wait... where's Rei? Wasn't he standing guard? You didn't see him when you came in?"
"Huh? He's not here yet?" Akari blinked. "Maybe he's outside blowing off steam? He didn't look so great when I left him earlier…"
She finally realized that Rei had been visibly upset, but it was too late to worry about that now.
As a proud member of the Galaxy Team, and Rei's senior, she knew he was the kind to bounce back quickly. He'd be fine.
"I'm heading to Mt. Coronet now. Paul, want to come with me?"
Paul met her eager gaze, but gently shook his head.
"Send me your Hisui region map. I'll meet up with you later."
"Okay then! I'll go meet up with Irida and the others, and we'll investigate the summit together. Once we're done, I'll show you around Hisui properly."
Without hesitation, Akari sent the map data to Paul and dashed out of HQ.
"You're Paul, right? If you have questions, feel free to ask the other Galaxy Team members." Laventon told him quickly before rushing after her.
In moments, the massive headquarters fell quiet again. Only a few staff members and Cyllene remained—and Paul.
Though the others kept to their tasks, they all watched Paul cautiously out of the corners of their eyes, wary of this unknown outsider.
Paul, unbothered by the attention, opened the map Akari had sent and began studying Hisui's geography.
His focus landed on the base of Mt. Coronet. That area caught his attention.
"There it is."
He found a location labeled Clamberclaw Cliffs. Paul remembered well: a secret path there led to the Ancient Cavern.
He didn't know much about what was inside, only that it housed many Pokémon fossils and more importantly, the mysterious Origin Ore.
Before reuniting with Akari, Paul planned to visit the cavern and secure that precious resource first.
Just as he stepped out of HQ, he ran into Rei.
Now more or less recovered from his earlier meltdown, Rei called out, "Huh? Paul? You're still here? Where's Akari and the professor?"
"Mt. Coronet."
Without another word, Paul released his Garchomp, leapt onto its back, and took off toward the mountain range.
"They're gone… all gone…"
"Why didn't anyone wait for me? So unfair!"
Utterly distraught at being left behind once again, Rei hurriedly released his Braviary and took to the skies, desperate to catch up.
At the very least, he had to reach one of them—either Paul or Akari!
It was a fine plan… but unfortunately, within seconds, Paul and his Garchomp had vanished from sight.
There was no way Rei could catch up.
(End of Chapter)
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